Method of packaging breakable articles



y J. H. couGl-IUN METHOD OF PACKAGNG BREAKABM` `ARTICLES Filed April l5.1924 v?? Zw rPatented May 24, 1927.

`vr'aTliiNrorsice..

JOHN H. COUGHLIN, 'or' oLIiifron, MASSACHUSETTS.

` METHOD or PACKAGING BEEAJaEJ-.JE ARTICLES.

Application filed April 1G, 199A. `Serial No. 706,849.

My present invention relates Ato an im proved method of packaging`breakable articles.

One of the serious problems of present day 5 merchandising is the properpackaging of articles, and particularly the proper packaging ofbreakable articles such as glass containers. Vhere the size of thepackage is to be smaller than the wholesale shipping unit, no method ofpackaging of which I am aware will properly take care of the problem ofpreventing excessive breakage. Particularly is this true with regard tobeverages held in glass bottles and the like which it is usual topackage in a unit size of approximately one half dozen bottles. Thecommercial wholesale way of packaging such articles so as to insure safetransit and prevent breakage is in cases of wood or steel arranged Withcompartments to hold on an average twenty four bottles. In retailingsuch bottles, however, the commercial container is too large as theaverage unit retailed in the small shop is six bottles. Due a5 to thesmall size of the unit and the relatively small margin of proiit inhandling goods of this class, no expensive container can be commerciallysuccessfully employed. Of late, a small unit corrugated container gD hasbeen brought on the market which is admirably adapted to hold the usualretail commercial unit, but thefbreakage in utilizing such unit has beenfound to be excessive. Attempts to place within such low priced andcheap material container a sepa.- rating element have been tried, butunsuccessfully, due to the cost. y vAs beverages, particularly inbottles, are sold direct to consumers and a large proportion of suchsales are made to people on picnics, outings, or the like, and as suchpeople` are Vnot ordinarily equipped with drinking receptacles and as agreat many people object to drinking directly from a bottle, I havedevised a method for packaging bottles containing hquid such asbeverages and the like, and utilize as separating devices the modernform of sanitary paper drinking cups. In practicing my invention I placeon each bottle a paper drinking cup which therefore acts not only as ameans for holding such bottle away from an adjacent bottle, but alsoacts to preserve free from dirt, dust, and the like the upper portion ofthe bottle.

The object of my invention, therefore, is an improved method ofpackaging breakable articles. v

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a plurality of breakablearticles arranged in a container according to my inventiOn,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through a container showing the bottleswith the drinking cups in position thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with the 65 cover of the containerremoved, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a container oi' corrugatedpaper or other 70 suitable material provided with a cover 11 of likematerial adapted to be placed thereon, or folded over so as to enclosethe articles in the container. The container 10 is of such dimensions asto allow a proper number of bottles 12 or other containers to be placedtherein in ranked formation and on each of the bottles is placed a papersanitary drinking cup or similar article 13. Such drinking cup ispreferably of that type wherein the drinking edge is rolled, as at 14,such roll edge performing the double function of obviating a sharp edgeon the cup and also tending to make such cup more rigid. The roll edge141 being of substantial size and the 85 depth or height ofthe cup 13being such, with respect to the body of the bottle 12, as to extend to apoint 15 where the body portion of the bottle merges into the neckportion thereof, such roll edges 14 engage with 90 each other, as .shownin Fig. 8, and hold the bottles 12 positively separated from each other.Such roll edges 14: act as, and perform the part of, a separating memberlocated between adjacent bottles and the roll 05 edges engaging witheach other prevent the force attending sudden jars from beingtransmitted to the bottles themselves. There is, therefore, no directcontact of the bottles 12 one with the other and, therefore, I have 100found that the breakage is reduced to a min-r imum. The cups 13 beingequal'in number to the number of bottles 12 in the container 10, eachindividual bottle is associated with a drinking cup so that thepurchaser of the unit may dispense a bottle and a cup to each personusing the same. This idea further carries out the modern idea ofsanitary drinking of liquids in that the members of a party are notobliged, as heretofore, to utilize a common drinking cup.

My method of packing is applicable to other articles of breakable naturebesides beverage-containing bottles, but as my invention was designedparticularly for this purpose, I have illustrated it in connection withthe beverage containing bottle. It is to be understood, however. that Iam not to be limited to the particular type of bottle employed otherthan as pointed out in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

That improvement in the art of packaging breakable articles whichconsists in utilizing a container adapted to hold a predetermined numberof bottles in ranked formation, fitting each bottle with an individualdrinking cup to enclose and protect the mouth of such bottle, andutilizing such individual drinking cup as a protectingr and separatingdevice to hold each individual bottle separate and out ol actual contactwith adjacent bottles.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN H. COUGHLIN.

